A Wish Upon a Star
by writer-princess
Summary: When Spencer was six he lost his only friend and made the wish to see him again. Ten years later, that wish might come true. I still suck at summaries so the story will be better.
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys, it's been a long time since I've written something. I've been really busy. Students of college and university are on strike because of tuition hike. Some schools have been for 6 weeks already. Students have been demonstrating almost every day. It's kind of crazy out here. There's between 200,000 and 300,000 students on strike. People against the hike have been wearing red squares (that's why my avatar has been changed).

Anyway, I thought of this while in a demonstration and I thought I would see what you guys think about it.

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><p><em>The little boy was a just a little older than him. Two, maybe three years older. He looked nice and there were two little girls with him, the girl in the middle looked his age. They looked nice too. But he wouldn't go and try to play with them. People who looked nice weren't always… especially kids. Kids weren't nice with him. He was a <em>freak._ Their words, not his. So, he sat there, on the bench with his book on his knees, looking at the three kids playing in the sandbox. He would like to go play with them but he doesn't. He just stayed there in silence and looked at them in envy. He let out a wishful sigh. The sound made the other boy look at him. He bit his lower lips and dropped his head, hoping the older kid wouldn't be mad at him. He listened, but didn't hear anything except childish play. Assuming it was safe, he raised his head. He found himself looking into a pair of deep chocolate eye. He swallowed with difficulty._

"_I'm sorry. I didn't mean it." He said in a whisper, looking like a terrified animal._

"_It's okay. I'm not mad." The older boy said. "Do you want to play with us?"_

"_I'm not supposed to talk to strangers… I don't think I should play with them either." He said, a frown and a sad smile appearing on his childish face._

"_Okay. I'm Derek and I'm eight. Des is six and Sarah is only four. See. We're not strangers anymore. You can play with us now. What's your name?"_

"_I'm Spencer. I'm six years, 3 months, 12 days, 4 hours and a couple minutes old. I don't have a watch so I can't be precise."_

"_Wow! You're like super intelligent. So will you play?" He asked, holding his hand out to the smaller boy._

"_Thank you and yes I'll play with you."_

_Spencer closed his book, put it on the bench and took the hand Derek was offering. Over two hours later, the three kids Spencer had befriended left. Spencer returned to his book. He finished within minutes and decided to go home. He didn't like to be at home during the weekends. His parents were always fighting. So instead, he went to the park, but he always had to go back home. Now that he had found a friend, he knew he would go back to the park every day though._

_For the next three months, Spencer met Derek almost every day at the park. Until one day, Derek came later than usual and he brought bad news with him. He was moving away. His family was leaving for Chicago in only a few days. Spencer was overwhelmed. He had made his first friend not so long ago and he was already losing him. The boys sat down to talk._

"_You're the only friend I have; I'm going to miss you." Spencer said._

"_I'm going to miss you too; more than anyone else… even my girlfriend." Derek answered._

"_So I'm better than her?"_

"_Of course you're better than her. You're better than anyone I know, well… except my parents."_

"_That's okay. I just didn't like your girlfriend. She made fun of me."_

"_You should have told me, I would have broken up with her before."_

"_Don't worry about it. Are we still going to be friends?"_

"_Totally… and I promise you that one day we'll see each other again."_

_Spencer didn't really believe him, but nodded. On the night of Derek's departure, Spencer stood at his window. A shooting star lighted up the star. Spencer closed his eyes._

"_I wish to see Derek again one day!"_

SRDM

Spencer woke up abruptly. He hadn't dreamed of these events in years. He had never seen Derek again, but for long years he had made the same wish. Someday, he had stopped wishing. He couldn't say that he had ever really stopped hoping though. Some part of him, no matter how small had kept hoping.

He had liked Derek… and to be honest, Derek was the only friend he ever had. The only person he had trusted too. The last time he had tried to trust someone in had ended up in trouble on a football field.

Spencer looked around the room. Tonight he would be in another room about 1, 518.78 miles away from his hometown. His father was tired of having him around and Spencer couldn't say he wasn't happy about it. Ever since his mother illness had gotten worse years ago, his father had become insufferable. His father was sending him to a distant cousin of his mother. Apparently the two women had been close once upon a time. Spencer didn't care about that though, the only thing he care about was that this cousin lived in Chicago. He knew that with the 234.0 sq mi of Chicago, the chances of meeting Derek were pretty slim, but he would still be closer to him… if he hadn't move away again that was.

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><p>So, what did you think? Review please!<br>With all my love, Anne

PS: I need a beta so if anyone wants the job, write me.


	2. Chapter 2

Okay guys, I am so so so sorry about this. I didn't know what to do with this story and it was driving me crazy. It took me almost a year (358 days if I'm not mistaken) to publish a second chapter. I do, however, have the first part of the third chapter on paper. Sorry again, hope you guys will still be reading me.

I do not have a beta for this story so all mistakes are mine.

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><p>Spencer was tired. His mother's cousin had picked him up at the airport. She was nice enough, but she was too happy and bubbly for him. Her name was Joy and he had barely resisted the temptation of rolling his eyes at the cliché name for the cliché personality. Spencer had declined her proposition for dinner. After the day he just had, he just wanted to crawl in his bed and sleep until the next day. He was going to do just that… or at least in a bed, even if it wasn't really his. Spencer sighed at the thought. This place wasn't his home, this room wasn't his room and this bed wasn't his bed.<p>

He wasn't looking forward to the next day, though. He had school. Nobody liked to change school in the middle of a year, especially senior year… even more if you were 16 years old. Those three things combined meant hell. Spencer was not like at his old school; there was no way he would be liked at this new school. Nobody liked know-it-alls. They wouldn't like a two years younger, new kid, know-it-all. And it wasn't like Spencer could keep himself from being intelligent. He sighed once more before going to bed, exhausted.

SRDM

Spencer was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. It was already morning which meant he had to go to school. He didn't want to get up and he wanted even less to get downstairs, but he was in need of a coffee. His coffee addiction won and Spencer got up. When he stepped inside the kitchen, Joy was already there, cooking breakfast.

"Good morning, dear. Did you sleep well?"

"Good morning, yeas and you?"

"Yes, thank you. Do you want breakfast? I made eggs."

"No, thanks. I'm not hungry. I'll just take a cup of coffee." Spencer said, walking straight to the coffee machine.

Joy watched Spencer as he poured himself a cup of coffee, then added an obscene amount of sugar in it. She let him walked to the stairs before she called him out.

"Spencer?"

"Yes?" He asked, turning around.

"I know you're not happy to be here. I know you wanted to stay close to your mother, but you're here for now. You could try to make the best of it."

"I'll keep that mind."

"That's all I'm asking. Do you want a ride to school?"

Spencer seriously considered refusing, but it was his first day and he had paperwork to fill out at school.

"Yes, if you don't mind."

"I don't. When do you want to leave?"

"Twenty minutes, I have paperwork to fill."

"It works for me."

Spencer nodded and walked back to his room.

'_There wasn't anything that could be worse than a first day in a new school.'_ Spencer thought as he got ready. After a few minutes of staring at himself in the mirror, he grabbed his messenger bag and ran downstairs.

SRDM

Spencer had the nagging feeling he would hate this school. People were staring at him. He got to the principal office as fast as he could without actually running. He walked to the secretary desk.

"Hi, I'm Spencer Reid. I'm supposed to start today…"He started.

"Just sit down. The principal is busy with another student at the moment." She said without raising her head from her computer.

Spencer sat down in a bright yellow plastic chair that was as uncomfortable as it looked. He didn't have to wait long before the principal's door opened. The man he supposed was the principal opened the door to the office.

"Are you Spencer Reid?"

"Yes, sir."

"Come in."

Spencer stood up and followed the principal in his office. Sitting in one of the two chairs in front of the desk was a girl wearing the most colorful clothes he had ever seen.

"Mr. Reid, I'd like you to meet Miss Garcia. She will be your guide here. Miss Garcia, I know you're responsible for the virus that infected our computers. I can't prove it, but I know you did it. As punishment, I want you to make sure Mr. Reid here gets acclimated to our school."

"Alright, sir. We'll be leaving now..." Garcia said.

Without waiting the answer of anyone, she got up and left the office in a hurry. Spencer looked at her in disbelief before turning toward the principal.

"I should follow her. Have a good day, sir."

Spencer left the office and looked around to find the colorful girl. The voice came from behind and startled him.

"Hi! I'm Penelope. What's your name?"

"Spencer."

"So you're a freshman?"

"No."

"Sophomore?"

"Neither."

"Don't tell me you're a junior."

"A senior actually. I guess I should have graduate a while ago, but I didn't think that graduating at 12 was a good idea, socially speaking."

"Wait… 12? How old are you now?"

"16. You're not going to tell anyone, are you? I didn't intend to tell you, but I tend to ramble when I'm nervous."

"Why are you nervous?"

"I'm sixteen and should have been in college 4 years ago." He said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Don't worry. Everything will be fine."

"You don't have to stay, you know."

"What?"

"I mean, I know the principal made you show me around to punish you. You don't have to, I'm sure I can find my way around."

"No way! I want to, alright? Come on, I'll introduce you to my friends."

Spencer didn't have time to reply as Penelope grabbed his wrist and pulled him along. The colourful, bright and cheerful teenager went through the school, babbling non-sense… or at least what appeared to him as non-sense. It was probably just pop culture. So he followed her, taking note of everything that could be useful along the way. Penelope finally came to a stop.

She stopped in front of a shy-looking, slightly round boy with glasses he kept pushing back to the top of his nose. Next to him stood two other really different boys looking around for something and a girl. One of the boys was wearing a high school hoodie with the track team name written on it. The other boy was wearing a button-down shirt of a deep blue colour. The girl was dressed in black with dark smoky makeup around the eyes and blood-red lips.

"Hey guys!" Penelope said. "This is Spencer Reid. He's new and he's a senior. Spencer this is Emily. She's in charge of the literary club. This is Aaron Hotchner, he's captain of the track team; we usually just call him Hotch. David here is class president and he's always so well dressed. And this is Kevin, he's my boyfriend. We're in the computer club together."

"Huh… Hi?" Spencer said awkwardly.

"So, your parents moved to Chicago?" Emily asked.

"No. Actually, I came here to live with my mother's cousin while my parents are away on business."

"Really? Where are you from?" David asked.

"Yes and I grew up in Las Vegas."

"Not bad." Hotch said with a smile. "But I guess you're not used to the cold."

"I'm not, but I will." Spencer answered, looking down at his shirt and vest.

"Oh! Change of subject. Em, do you know where the others are?" Penelope asked.

"J.J. is running late. Willie was having a boyfriend crisis again. She went to pick him up. She wanted to make sure he got dressed, ate and got to school without crashing his father's car." Emily answered, rolling her eyes. "He should really stop letting that guy boss him around like that. It's bad for his health. I haven't seen Derek yet. Anyone did?"

"He had to meet his math teacher this morning." Hotch said as the others shook their head. "I think he failed the last test."

"Right. So, what's your first class?" David asked Spencer.

"Biology with Mrs. Greenwich."

"Hard!" Emily said, wincing. "At least you're not alone. J.J. has it too. Come on, I'll show you to your classroom. I'm the only one who has a class in the science wing this morning. We'll see you guys later."

"Alright! I'll see you at lunch Spencer?" Penelope asked.

"Sure, why not?"

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><p>So, what did you think? I know this isn't really good considering the time it took me to write it, but I really wanted to post something at least. Review to let me know what you think.<p>

Love, Anne.


	3. Chapter 3

So, you can be proud of me, it didn't take me a year. The chapter that comes after isn't written yet, but I'll do my best to work fast. Thank you for all the reviews. Here you go...

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><p>Emily and Spencer walked down the hallway in a comfortable silence. The black haired girl came to a stop in front of the door that looked every bit like all the others.<p>

"This is biology woth the big bad witch of the West. I'm at the other end of the wing, but I'm sure JJ won't mind pointing you in the direction of your next class. Gotta go, if I'm late in physics again, my teacher will kill me... or at least give me a detention. See you at lunch."  
>"Oh! Alright. Thanks again." Spencer said awkwardly.<br>"Anytime."

Spencer walked in the class, ignoring the states from the other students as he walked to the teacher.

"Hi, I'm Spencer Reid. I just transfered." He introduced himself.  
>"Right, well take a seat Mr Reid."<br>"Thanks." He said, relieved the teacher wasn't making a big deal of his arrival.

Spencer took a seat at the back of the class, close to the wall. After a few minutes, the teacher stood up, only to be interrupted by a blonde girl running in the class.

"I'm sorry Mrs Greenwich."  
>"It's alright miss Jareau. I hope it won't happen again."<br>"It won't."  
>"Good, take your seat."<p>

The girl nodded and sat next to Spencer as the bell rang. The girl smiled to Spencer before turning her attention back to the teacher.

"Alright everyone. Today, you'll be working on the pages 283-301 of your manuals. No teams bigger than two."

Spencer sighed. Great! He didn't have his books yet. He'd have to team up with someone.

"They didn't give you the books yet?"

Spencer turned around to find the blonde girl staring at him.

"Excuse me?" He mumbled.  
>"You must be Spencer. I'm JJ."<br>"Oh! Yeah, Emily and Penelope mentioned you."  
>"Penny overwhelmed you yet?"<br>"Huh..."  
>"It's okay if you are. She can be a lot."<br>"Yes, a little bit. She gave me everyone's credentials... or at least those who were there."  
>"Well, let me introduce myself. I'm Jennifer Jareau, but my friends call me JJ. I'm in the cheerleading team."<br>"Spencer Reid, I'm from Vegas."  
>"Pleased to meet you."<br>"Me too."  
>"So, want to work together? I have a book."<br>"Yes, thank you."  
>"So, first question." JJ started, opening the book and a notebook.<p>

Spencer looked down at the pages for a few seconds, turned the page, looked down a few more seconds and did it a few more times, before pushing back the manual towards the blonde girl. He looked up to find her looking at him, mouth slightly opened.

"You just read the whole thing, didn't you?"  
>"Yes, I did." The teenager blushed.<br>"How fast can you read?"

"20,000 words a minute."

"Are you a genius?"  
>"I don't believe intelligence can be quantified, but I do have an eidetic memory, an IQ of 187 and I can read 20,000 words a minute…"<p>

JJ shot him a look.

"Alright, yes I'm a genius"  
>"Cool! Wait, so what are you still doing in high school?"<br>"I didn't want to be a 12 years old senior, I decided to wait."  
>"So that makes you what? How old are you?"<br>"Sixteen."  
>"Isn't high school a little boring?"<br>"I guess." He shrugged. "Can you keep a secret?" He asked.

The teenager didn't know why, but something made him trust this girl.

"Sure, what is it?"  
>"I'm actually working on a PhD in mathematics." He said nervously.<br>"Damn! Don't worry, Spence. Your secret is safe with me."

Spencer smiled softly.

"Thank you." He whispered.  
>"So, feel like helping me with biology."<br>"Sure, why not? Least I could do for you lending me your book" He joked.

They both laughed and got to work. Ninety minutes later, the bell rang and JJ turned to Spencer.

"So, what do you have next?"  
>"Advance math with Mr. Williams."<br>"You still have to take maths?"  
>"Yes, so I have a full schedule."<br>"Come on, I'll show you to your class"  
>"Thanks JJ"<p>

The two teenager walked to Spencer's next class, chatting. Well, JJ did most of the chatting, Spencer mostly listened. They were almost there when someone ran into the younger boy.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I never saw you." Spencer babbled, crouching down to pick up the books the other person had dropped.  
>"It's fine. Hi, JJ."<p>

At the name of his new friend, Spencer looked up. He found himself staring at a black teenager who was smiling widely.

"Hi, Derek! How was your week-end?"  
>"Great, what about yours?"<br>"Good enough. Wait, you have math next, right?"  
>"Yes? Why?"<p>

"Derek, this is Spencer Reid. He's new. Spencer, this is Derek Morgan."

Spencer actually stopped to take a good look at the teenager in front of him3 He knew that guy! Meanwhile, Derek was observing Spencer.

"Hi. Do I… have we met before?" He asked.

Spencer felt his heart tightened. Derek didn't remember him. Damn eidetic memory! He, himself, was screwed. He could never forget someone or something, no matter how much he wanted too. He remembered Derek. He remembered the eight years old that had befriended him for months. This Derek seemed different. And he couldn't just say "Well, yes we met before. We were friends for a few months ten years ago" couldn't he?

"I don't think so, I've been in town for two days.""  
>"Oh! Well I guess not, then."<br>"Guys, I have Spanish next, so I have to run. Derek, can you show Spencer to the cafeteria after class?" JJ asked.  
>"Of course, who do you think I am?" Derek joked.<br>"I don't know… Maybe you had a change of personality during the night. You could decide to be mean and leave him in the middle of nowhere."  
>"Yeah, and risk anger Penny? I value my life, you know."<br>"Right. Bye guys."

Both guys said goodbye to JJ before turning to each other.

"Como on. Mr. Williams is nice, but he doesn't appreciate tardiness."  
>"Good enough for me. I need to talk to him anyway."<p>

Derek nodded and they walked in the class. Derek went to sit in the back while Spencer went to the man standing in front of the class, writing on the blackboard.

"Mr. Williams?" He asked.

The man turned around and studied the teenager.

"Yes. What can I do for you, young man?"  
>"I'm Spencer Reid, I just transferred."<p>

Realization seemed to hit the teacher and his eyes lit up.

"Right! I've been informed of your… predicament, shall we say."  
>"Yes."<br>"I'll trust you to keep yourself occupied in class."  
>"Yes."<br>"Then get yourself a seat, Mr. Reid."  
>"Alright."<p>

Spencer walked to the back of the class. He looked around before sitting at the desk next Derek.

"Everything alright?"  
>"Huh? Oh, yes! Everything is fine. Mr. Williams was just making sure I was in the same place as you in my last school."<br>"Were you?"  
>"We were ahead a little bit. So, I guess I'll be fine."<br>"You're lucky. I suck at math. Maths are going to be the death of me." Derek all but whined.  
>"Aren't you overdoing this?" Spencer asked, smiling a little.<p>

Before Derek could answer, a bulky teenager came to stand in front of Spencer.

"Who the hell are you?" The teenager asked abruptly.  
>"Relax Henkel. This is Reid. He's new."<p>

The boy named Henkel looked from Derek to Spencer. He glared at the latter.

"You're in my seat." Henkel said.  
>"Come on, man! Just sit elsewhere."<p>

Henkel looked unsure, but ended up sitting two rows down from them. Derek turned back his attention to Spencer.

"So, you've met everyone yet?"  
>"I don't know what you consider as everyone. Because there's no way I could have met everyone in school yet."<p>

Derek looked stunned for a second and Spencer feared he had said too much, that he had been too much literal.

"You're on the literal side of things, aren't you?"  
>"Sorry."<br>"No problem, just got to get used to it. Let's try this in another way. Who have you met yet?"  
>"Penelope, Emily, David, Hotch, Kevin, JJ and you of course."<br>"So, you're just missing Will then."  
>"What about Henkel?" Reid asked.<br>"Tobias? We're not really friends, we're on the football team together."  
>"You're popular." Spencer said.<p>

It was such a final statement that Derek didn't know what to answer. He was saved from finding one when their teacher started to talk. All through the class, Spencer let his thoughts drift off. When the bell rang, Derek stood and gathered his things. Spencer was sure Derek was going to leave him there, but the teenager surprised him by turning around and waiting for him. Spencer frowned. His confusion must have showed, because Derek answered his silent question.

"You're eating with us right?"  
>"Yes, I guess."<br>"Then come on, we'll go together."  
>"Alright, thanks."<p>

Spencer followed Derek, internally smiling. He could see the little boy he met all those years ago. The kindness was the same he remembered: making someone new feel welcome. This Derek seemed different, but maybe it wasn't so bad.

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><p>By the way, I still don't have a beta so all mistakes were mine. If anyone wants the job PM me.<p>

It's on the short side, but I figured you would like to have it sooner rather than later. Please continue to review or give suggestions. I'm always open. I'll be publishing _**a new story**_ (like the minute I finish posting this chapter) . It will probably (read certainly) be a **_Derek/Spence_**r fic again. But as well as being an AU it will contain supernatural parts. So, keep your eyes open for those who are interested.

Love, Anne


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys, I am so so sorry that it took me a month to put this up. But this is my last term in school and I've been overworked. My program's teachers are always asking us for more of this or more of that... I'm finishing in a month, but I'll try to publish a new chapter before then... It is already started. All mistakes are mine. Sorry if there are problems with the text formatting. I typed it on my phone and then passed it through two different correction thingy, ut you never know... _**Enjoy!**_

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><p>Derek and Spencer walked down the school's hallways. Contrary to his previous walks with Emily and JJ, every two steps someone was stopping to greet them...well Derek, really. People mostly looked at him in wonder. 'Who the hell was that new kid walking with Derek Morgan?<p>

That's what Spencer could read on their faces. They didn't have to walk for long before a tornado of colour ran to them. Spencer couldn't help but smile at the way Penelope hugged Derek, talking a thousand words a minute. After she was finished with the other teenager, the blonde turned to him.

"So, how was your first class?"

"Ok, they're classes."

"Right. Well, I have my lunch so I'll go to our table. You guys have a lunch?"

Both boys shook their head.

"Alright, well I'll see you after the line."

And without any other word, Penelope was gone. Spencer looked so stunned that Derek couldn't help but chuckle.

"You'll get use to her."

"Will I?"

"Just let her do her thing. You just have to listen to her. She'll repeat what's important."

"I don't understand what she's saying half the time."

"I still don't and I've known her for like 10 years. She doesn't really care. Like I said, she'll make sure you understand the important stuff."

"Is that supposed to reassure me?" Spencer snorted.

"Come on, I'm starving."

Spencer got in the line ant they were soon joined by JJ and a tall lean teenager with short brown hair.

"Hey guys, how was math?""

Derek shrugged, causing JJ to turn to Spencer.

"I saw it in my last school, nothing new to me."

JJ and Spencer shared a knowing smile.

"Spence, this is our friend Will Lamontagne. Willie, this is Spencer Reid, the new transfer student."

"Hi." Spencer said softly, he was seriously sick of introductions.

"Hello, cher." The other said, making Spencer smile at the accent.

"New Orleans?" He asked.

"Yes." Will said, a smile spreading on his face. "I moved here last year. I heard you were from Vegas. You're a long way home too."

Spencer was about to answer when the line moved. Spencer and Will grabbed trays and started piling food on them. Spencer looked at JJ in horror.

"Are they really going to eat all this?"

"They will." She confirmed. "Sometimes I wonder how they stay so slim. What do you want?"

"Coffee!" Spencer said hopeful.

JJ laughed softly. "Sure, but you have to eat too."

"I'm not hungry, thank you."

"Well, you'll at least eat a sandwich or a salad."

"I'm fine... In fact, I rarely eat lunch."

From the way JJ's eyes widen in shock before narrowing menacingly, Spencer realized he might have said too much.

"Really? Well, that's about to change. **I'm** a **cheerleader** and** I **eat lunch for god's sake. Give me a good reason for you to skip lunch."

"I'm not hungry." He tried.

"Bad answer, we were looking for a good reason."

Spencer looked at the petite blonde girl in surprise. From what he had gathered from the others, Penelope was the one people were afraid of. He didn't understand how that could be. He personally thought JJ was pretty scary. JJ s features softened a bit.

"Look, I'm not saying you should eat as much as the Neanderthals over there. But will you at least eat a sandwich?"

"Alright." Spencer finally agreed.

JJ smiled and brought him in front of the sandwiches stand. Spencer's eyes widened.

"Why would anyone need that many sandwiches choice?"

"I don't know. Why would anyone need so many types of coffee?"

The cheerleader didn't have any idea of the dramatic impact of her words on Spencer before she turned around to face him. The genius boy with an IQ of 187 was standing there, mouth slightly opened, looking just a bit ridiculous.

"What?" She asked.

"I can't believe you just said that. Coffee is life, okay?"

"Alright, alright… I take it back." JJ reassured him, amused.

"Good! So, where's the coffee?"

"Over there, but sandwich first."

Spencer sighed and grabbed the first sandwich on the shelf, waving it under the blonde teenager's nose. She rolled her eyes, but nodded her approval. Spencer then walked directly to the coffee station. He poured himself the largest size available, before reaching for the sugar. He paid and followed the three others to the table where Hotch, David, Emily, Penelope and Kevin were already eating. Spencer sat between Penelope and JJ, facing Derek. He then proceeded to open every pack of sugar and dump it in his cup.

"Damn! You're going to take some coffee with all that sugar, pretty boy?" Derek asked, smiling.

Spencer felt blush creeping up his cheeks. Throughout the years, he'd been called many things: genius, weirdo, nerd, freak to name only a few. But no one had ever called him pretty, except for his mom and his mom didn't count. He guessed he was also embarrassed by the remark in itself. Judging by the way the girls were giggling and the guys smirking, that's what they thought too.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing I'm the one drinking it."

"It is. Just remind me to never drink in your cup."

"Trust me, I wouldn't let you." Spencer smirked.

This time, it was Derek's turn to look stunned while the others laughed. Who would have thought the new kid had good comebacks. Everyone went back to eating and Spencer took that opportunity to observe his new friends. Kevin and Penelope were holding hands, but both were engrossed in their conversations: Kevin with David and Penelope with Derek. Hotch and Emily were talking in hushed tones, Will and JJ were laughing on the other side.

Spencer didn't miss the looks David was sneaking JJ s way when he thought no one was lo0oking. He smiled and munched on his sandwich happily. He wouldn't admit it to JJ but that chicken and cranberries pita roll was awesome. He turned his attention back on Derek and Penelope and took part in the conversation about the worst teachers they ever had. They had been talking for only a few minutes, when a tall blonde girl came to a stop at the end of the table. She gazed at the table, pursing her lips as her glance fell on Kevin, Penelope, Emily and Will. When she stopped on him, Spencer squirmed around in his seat and looked at Derek for help. Derek looked at the helpless-looking teenager and sighed. He sent him a reassuring - he hoped - look.

"Hey, Lila. What can we do for you on this fine day?"

"Want to go out with me on Friday?" She asked.

Derek looked alarmed for a second, before his glance fell on Spencer.

"I'm sorry, I can't. Mr. Williams wants me to have a tutor in math."

"Does it have to be on Friday?" She whined.

"Only day I'm free I'm afraid."

The girl leaned towards Derek, giving the whole table a good look of her cleavage. Will rolled his eyes and made a throwing up gesture.

"_**I**_ could help you with your maths."

This time Kevin rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Thanks for the offer Lila, but I already have a tutor."

"You do? Who?"

Everyone at the table looked surprise... but no one looked more surprised than Derek himself. He didn't know why he had said Spencer's name. Maybe it was the way Spencer had looked at him, almost begging to be helped. There was something oddly familiar about that expression, but Derek couldn't place it. Lila was the first one to get over the shock.

"Wait, who is that Spencer?"

Everyone rolled their eyes and Emily answered.

"This is Spencer Reid, he's new. Spencer, this is Lila Archer."

Spencer opened his mouth to say something when Lila put her hand up and shushed him. He looked at her in disbelief. _Who the hell was that girl?_

"Come on, Derbear! That nerdy, skinny, unfashionable kid? How old is he anyway? He can't help you in maths."

"Stop it Lila. We're in advanced maths together. You're not. Can you leave now? We'd like to finish our lunch in peace."

Lila huffed and left, wiggling her ass as she walked. As soon as she was out of earshot, Penelope let a whiny _Derbear. _They all started to laugh uncontrollably. Many minutes later, the laughter died and everyone calmed down, Spencer voiced is disbelief.

"Seriously? Who's that girl?"

"That's Lila Archer. She's head cheerleader, lining up for prom queen and she's had the biggest crush on Derek since she was 11."

"Come on Emily, you make her sound like a bitch." Penelope said.

"Because she's not? You know how she is, Penny. I have to put up with her almost every day, I know." JJ complained.

"Point taken, I bow down to you." Penelope admitted.

"Do you really need a tutor in maths?"Spencer b blurted out, unable to wonder in silence anymore.

Derek looked at Spencer in surprise, like he wasn't expecting the question.

"Oh! Hum... Yes, I guess. Mr. Williams did ask me to get a tutor. You don't have to help me though... I just wanted to get rid of Lila, so that she'd leave me alone." Derek said quickly.

"Oh!" Spencer said, hating the disappointment showing in his voice.

"Unless you want too... I mean I would like it, but you don't **have **to."

Derek couldn't believe his own embarrassment as he fought the blush he felt creeping up his cheeks. What was going on with him? The two teenagers looked, well more like started, at each other for a long moment. The others at the table looked from each other to their two friends. The girls shared a knowing smile.

"Yeah, I would like that." Spencer finally said.

"Good. Friday then?" Derek asked.

"Huh... Friday is game night." David reminded him.

"Right. Wait, why would Lila asked me out... you know what, never mind. Is Thursday good for you instead?" He asked again.

"Sure, it's not like I've got lots to do."

"Great! Thanks Spencer!" Derek grinned widely.

Spencer smiled, but in the inside he was groaning. He just had set himself up for spending more time with Derek... Maybe, he was a masochist?

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><p>So, what did you think? For those who are wondering, the next chapter of <em><strong>Their Own Guardian Angels<strong> _ is done, but I still have to finish typing it. I'll get to it... I don't want to mix my Spencers and my Dereks... Love, Anne

P.S. _**Please review even as a guest or with just a word!**_


	5. Chapter 5

Hi everyone,

I am so so so sorry. Let just say that school, work, my computer and especially a new baby in my family have kept me busy and I didn't take the time to write. I hope some of you will still be reading this. LEt me know what you thought.

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><p>The rest of the day was good enough. He had chemistry and then English Literature. Both of which he wasn't alone for, so he guessed that was a good thing. First he was in English Literature with Emily, David and Will. He had already read the books in the syllabus, many times at that… But the teacher was nice and she really liked her subject. Then he was in physics with Derek and JJ. When the last bell rang at three, he jumped up his seat and practically ran for the exit, leaving behind Derek, Penelope and JJ, the three of them looking slightly dazed. Spencer ran and caught his bus right before it left. Once he was home – or what passed as home these days – he lay on his bed, mentally reliving his first day at school. It was exhausting and as the build-up tiredness of the last few days came crashing down on him, Spencer fell asleep.<p>

SRDM

Derek stood with his two blonde friends at the front of the school, waiting for the others to get out of class. Something was bothering him. He didn't know what it was. He'd been just fine before the class ended. He was still deep in his thoughts when someone put their hand on his shoulder. He jumped slightly, before turning around. Emily was looking at him, a frown on her face.

"Are you okay, Derek?"  
>"Yeah. Just… you know thinking." Derek forced himself to smile.<br>"Are you sure? You looked like something was bothering you…" Emily replied, obviously not fooled by his pitiful attempt.  
>"Some of us are going to grab a bite to eat, you want to come."<br>"No, thanks. I'm not hungry… and it's Monday. I always walk home with Des and Sarah on Mondays. You know that."  
>"Right. Slipped my mind. We'll see you tomorrow."<p>

Emily nodded as he waved to the others and walked to the spot where his sisters usually waited for him.

Derek walked quickly; much aware of the piercing looks Emily was still sending him. He knew it was just a matter of time before she clued in JJ and Penelope in whatever she felt was wrong with him. He loved his friends, very much so even; but the girls could be overprotective when they thought something was wrong… most of the time nothing was wrong, they were. He sighed. He'd deal with the Inquisition in the morning.

When he got to his sisters, they were busy complaining about teachers and homework loads. They both smiled at him, but kept on talking as the three of them started walking toward the house. A few blocks later, Des seemed to finally pick up on her brother's quietness.

"What about you, Der?" Des asked. "How was your day?"  
>"Fine. There was a new kid. He just transferred."<br>"Really? For senior year? That sucks!" Sarah sympathized.  
>"Have you talked to him?"<br>"Yeah, Des. I did."  
>"How did that happened?" Sarah asked, surprise painted all over her face.<br>"Are you saying I'm not nice?" Derek replied, trying not to be hurt by his baby sister's words.  
>"No. What we're saying is that you're hardly the first one to talk to a new kid on a new day… maybe a few days in, but first day? Highly improbable." Desiree came to her sister's rescue. "That's more Penny's style anyway…or JJ's maybe."<p>

Derek snorted at that.

"Penny played with the computers again. The principal asked her to make sure he was acclimating alright."  
>"I knew it! So, what's his name" Sarah asked.<p>

Derek thought she was getting way too excited about a new kid in his year, but she also got excited about British boy bands and Twilight. He didn't understand his sister. He wasn't going to start now.

"Spencer Reid. And no, I don't know his favorite color before you ask." He teased her.  
>"You're so not funny Derek Morgan." She replied, almost snarling at him.<p>

Desiree and Derek shared an amused look and both passed an arm around their younger sister and pressing a kiss on her cheek.

"Come on, Sarah. You know we love you!" Desiree cooed.  
>"Yeah, well I would prefer if you loved me a little less."<p>

They all started laughing uncontrollably until they walked in the house minutes later…

SRDM

When Joy walked in her house, it was completely silent. She frowned. Spencer should have been back at least two hours ago. Nobody – even him – could be that silent.

She walked to his bedroom, knocking softly on the door. When he didn't answer, she opened the door slightly and smiled at the sight. The teenager was sprawled on the bed, sleeping. He looked even younger than he usually did, but he looked more peaceful than ever before. She put her hand on his shoulder, shaking him softly. He woke up almost instantly if not a little groggy.

"Oh! Hi, Joy. What time is it?" He mumbled, yawning.  
>"A little after five. What happened? You look exhausted."<br>"School happened."  
>"Really? I don't remember school being that hard." She teased him.<p>

Spencer didn't answer. Instead, he raised an eyebrow and shot her a glare from the bed.

"Alright, alright. How did it go? Did you make friends at least?" She chuckled.  
>"Yeah, I did." He answered shortly, hoping she'd drop the subject.<p>

Thankfully for him, she seemed to pick up on his reluctance to talk about school and changed the subject, but not without sending him a knowing look.

"Good. So, want me to drop you off at the college library. You can get started on your real homework."

Spencer's smile lit up the room and she knew she'd said the right thing. This teenager was just like his mother. He craved knowledge. For the life of her, she couldn't understand why his father had insisted for him to stay in high school for so long. She knew Spencer always said it was his choice, but she also knew that it wasn't the truth. He'd been as disappointed as his teachers when he told them he wasn't leaving high school. Joy bet he would have been happier at college. He'd probably be working on more than just one PhD if that was the case… maybe engineering or something like that.

"Sure. Thanks. Can we grab something to eat on the way?"  
>"Yes, no problem."<br>"Give me five minutes to get ready."  
>"Take your time, I'll wait downstairs."<p>

She turned away to leave when he called her name.

"Yes?"  
>"Thanks. I know you were already there."<br>"No problem, honey." She answered, her throat suddenly tightening.

There was so much of Diana in him, the one from before. If she closed her eyes she could remember it clearly: the long haired blonde teenager that was always carrying books around laughing and crying in public as she read them, the one that dreamt of teaching, the one that had read to her round stomach and especially the one that never wanted to disturb someone else like she was scared she'd interrupt them with her nonsense and unimportance. Spencer was like that too. Diana had been a little afraid of it, afraid he would let the others take all the place like she had done

As she walked to her room, Joy vowed to herself to watch over Spencer. Diana couldn't do it anymore, but she could. She could protect the teenager from himself and from the others. She could protect him from his father, especially that. William Reid had turned out to be quite a different man than the one both Diana and her had thought he would be. He was close minded and traditionalist. Joy knew that Diana and William had fought a lot about many things. Before she'd seen the best in everyone. Now... Joy sighed. It was best not to dwell about it, it wouldn't change a thing. Spencer came down just then, bag on his shoulders and not looking as tired as he had only five minutes ago.

"Ready?" He asked.  
>"Yes. Want to grab Chinese on the way?"<br>"Sure, as long as I don't have to eat with chopsticks."

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><p>So, I wanted to do a part about Joy. I mean, she's suddenly responsible for a teenager she barely knows. Hope it's okay and that it wasn't too OCC, but guess what? It's an AU, so I guess it's not so bad. Also, I remembered that technically Des was the oldest, but hey AU!<p>

Anyhow** please leave a review even if it's just one word or a question or comment. I'll answer you anyway.****  
><strong>

**Love, Anne**


	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys! So, good news for you. I wrote most of this in like half an hour. Maybe not so good, but seeing as it took me like three days to come up with the first four hundred words it seems good to me. I have a better idea where I want to bring this, now.

**To S : Someone wrote me saying that in the cannon Des is the oldest, then comes Derek and finally comes Sarah...**

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><p>When Derek and his sisters finally got to their house, their mom was still at work. Derek made sure his sisters settled in at their desks to start on their homework, before putting his mother's pre-made casserole in the oven, bringing Desiree a glass of milk and Sarah a glass of apple juice and a light snack before finally sitting himself at the kitchen table to work on his own homework. His mother walked in the house about forty-five minutes later, looking positively exhausted and still in her light pink hospital scrubs. She took one look at the kitchen and she smiled softly. Dinner was in the oven and snack plates and glasses lined up next to the sink.<p>

Fran Morgan looked at her eldest, working diligently on what looked like math. She always felt like Derek did just a little too much around the house. He didn't have to take care of his sisters like he did, but he did. He started to do so a few months after his father died. At first he had hang out with some of the bad kids in the neighborhood. They had just moved to Chicago and Derek had had a bad time fitting in... even before his dad's death. Derek had taken it as hard as he could have and had fallen in step with the bullies at his school. Fran didn't know what she was going to do with him anymore; neighbors were complaining and teachers were calling her almost every day. And then Derek went and met one Penelope Garcia.

Fran would always be thankful for the sudden crash arrival of Penelope Garcia in Derek's life. The middle schooler dressed in pink had somehow managed to bring her son back. She had annoyed the hell out of the boy at first, but she had succeeded in breaking through his barriers and the two kids had became best friends. And then one day, some of Derek's new friends had picked on Penelope. That event had been the end of all ties between Derek and those boys. After that, Derek started to help more around the house, helping his sisters and taking care of them without Fran asking him to.

She'd been sure that becoming a teenager and a football player would change that part of him. But even though he was busier than before he still took time to take care of the girls. He had many friends on the football team, but his real friends were not. They were as different as Penelope, each their own person with different tastes and interests; but somehow they worked. Put them all together and those differences were put asides. She had witnessed it firsthand.

She was lucky he was there... but sometimes she wished she wasn't so busy, that Derek didn't do as much as he did.

"Mom?" The teenager called, a frown on his face.  
>"Sorry, baby. I was just thinking."<br>"'Bout what?"  
>"Stuff... Nothing important. How was your day?"<br>"Good enough. Mr. Williams is making me get a tutor in math."  
>"Yeah?"<br>"Huh-huh. Otherwise I'll go back to regular math."  
>"You do know you don't have to take advanced classes, Derek. You're so busy already."<br>"Ma..."  
>"I'm just saying, baby. You don't have to push yourself so hard all the time, Derek. You know that, right?"<br>"I know, mom... but what if I don't get the scholarship or if I lose it, or if I get hurt? Good grades and advanced classes will be good then."  
>"I know. But you still shouldn't worry this much about it. That's my job."<br>"Come on, let's make a deal. I'll let you worry about Sarah and Des and I won't."

Fran Morgan raised one eyebrow and Derek started to laugh.

"Alright, that's a lie. I'm still getting help in math."  
>"Okay. Have you found one yet?"<br>"Yep. Spencer said he was going to help me."  
>"Spencer?"<br>"He's a new kid, just transferred. Penny introduced us."  
>"You're sure getting help from a new kid is a good idea?"<br>"Really mom? What happened to anyone deserves a chance?" Derek asked, being the one to raise an eyebrow this time around.  
>"Is he any good?" Fran replied.<br>"J.J. seems to think so. And so does Mr. Williams."  
>"So if J.J. says he's fine, he automatically is." Fran teased good-heartedly.<br>"She's the best judge of character, isn't she? And she's been fretting around the kid all day. I guess he brings her maternal instincts out. I mean the kids is skinnier than Des and smaller than Sarah!" Derek said, a soft tone in his voice and a small smile tugging at his lips  
>"Is he?" Fran asked, immediately noting the fondness in her eldest's voice.<br>"Yeah! I mean, you'd probably try to feed him the whole casserole... I think part of it is that he looks younger than us. He would easily pass for a freshman a feat even Des isn't capable of!" The teenager chuckled.  
>"Hey!" The annoyed voice of his baby sister came from the left.<p>

Both mother and son turn around to the sound of her voice. The young girl was standing at the bottom of the stairs arms crossed, a scowl on her pretty face.

"What? It's a compliment." Derek answered.  
>"Didn't sound like one." Des said, rolling her eyes.<br>"Don't you have homework to do." Her brother asked.  
>"I'm done. I was coming down to see if we were eating soon. Lena called. We wanted to go to the park tonight."<br>"Really? I didn't hear the phone ring." Derek replied.  
>"There's this piece of technology called a cell phone Derek, but it's possible that you don't know about it. With you being so old and mature and all that."<p>

Both siblings pull their tongues at each other, making Fran roll her eyes in a way that was so familiar to her daughter's.

"Enough." She said.

Derek was mature and all, but Fran couldn't really help but be filled with happiness at this display of childish behavior. Some things would never change.

"Derek, take your things to your room; Des, table."  
>"Yes, ma'am." They chorused.<br>"Oh, and Derek?"  
>"Yes mom?"<br>"I better be meeting that Spencer soon."  
>"Moooom!" He whined unhappily.<br>"I've met all of your friends, what's the difference with him?"

The puzzled look on Derek's face told her all she needed to know...

As Derek walked up the stairs to put his schoolbag in his bedroom he couldn't help but think about his mom's words... What was so different about Spencer. Why did he want to keep him to himself?

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><p>So, what did you think? I'll be writing the next chapter of <strong>Their Own Guardian Angels<strong> and I'll write the following chapter for this one.

_Please leave a review, even if it's just one word._ _It's always more encouraging to write when there's reviews..._  
>Love, Anne<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys,**

**So chapter 7. This time I have a beta and she's great so you can thank her for the help! I know I know it's been a long time... Just know that the next one is already partly written.**

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><p>The next morning, Derek couldn't wait to get to school. He woke up earlier than he usually did and had to wait for almost an hour to actually get up and get started on his morning routine. BY the time he got out of the shower, got dressed and went downstairs, there were four people sitting around the table.<p>

"Pen? What are you doing here? It's like 7 in the morning."

Penelope smiled sadly.

"I got into a fight with my parents. School grounds aren't opened yet. Figured I could crash here for an hour; your mom let me in."  
>"Alright. Did you have breakfast, yet?" He asked, knowing better than to ask questions.<br>"No. I grabbed my bag and got out of there as fast as I could"  
>"Want cereal?" Derek asked.<br>"Yeah…"

Derek nodded; he grabbed two bowls, two spoons and Penelope's favorite cereals' box and brought them to the table. He dropped a kiss on Penelope's cheek and gave her a smile he hoped was reassuring. They both sat in silence for the rest of breakfast. It wasn't the first time Penelope had showed up unannounced, but lately it was more frequent and the happy teenage girl looked more depressed each time. When the four teenagers were ready to leave, Fran took her son aside, and handed him a twenty dollar bill. Derek frowned and silently questioned his mother. The woman raised an eyebrow unimpressed.

"Before you come back tonight, stop by the hardware store. If Penelope is going to drop by this early in the morning, she'll need a key."  
>"Thanks mom!" Derek smiled widely.<br>"She's almost always here anyway… At least now I won't have to worry about her spending the night on the front porch, I worry enough as it is, mister."  
>"Yeah, yeah! Got to' go the girls are waiting."<br>"Have a good day, sweetheart. Be good."

Derek rolled his eyes, before catching up with his sisters and best friend in front of the house. The girls complained and whined playfully about having to wait, before they finally started walking to school. They laughed and talked the whole way and Derek was happy to see Penelope perk right up, returning to her chatterbox-self they all loved. By the time they finally got to school they were running late and Derek didn't get to see any of his friends before the bell. His morning classes seemed unusually long, but it finally reached lunch time. When he sat down at his usual table, Spencer and the girls were already there. The young teenage boy was eating a stir fry grumpily under the watchful eye of JJ who seemed to be holding a cup of coffee hostage. Derek smirked as he looked at the gangly teenager.

"You okay there, pretty boy?" Derek asked, **not** enjoying the way blush crept up the younger teen's cheeks – seriously he wasn't.  
>"Tell your friend to give me back my coffee?" Spencer asked, trying to glare at the cheerleader, but only managing to look like a wounded puppy.<p>

He wasn't the only to notice it as Penelope squealed loudly, attracting the attention of a few other tables. When they caught on that the sound had come from the bright and cheerful teenager, people turned back their attention to whatever they were doing before. Derek couldn't help the chuckle that passed his lips; his best friend was so predictable sometimes. He looked at JJ with a smirk on his face, before turning to the younger man.

"Sorry, pretty boy, you don't mess with a cheerleader. They can be vicious." He joked.

The teenage girl stuck her tongue out to her dark skinned friend, before turning back to Spencer.

"Not going to work, Spence! You need to eat. I'm watching you like hawk."  
>"I thought cheerleaders were supposed to be blonde, stupid bimbos." Spencer muttered under his breath. Blush crept to his cheeks. "Sorry." He said sheepishly.<p>

A warm laugh came from Will as he sat down next to JJ, placing a soft kiss on her cheek.

"Don't worry. Lila, may be one of those, but this cheerleader is applying to Georgetown… and she'll be leading the soccer team this year." Will told Spencer.  
>"You didn't tell me you were on the soccer team."<br>"Yeah. I was thinking I'd focused on cheerleading and studying, but figured I'd miss it too much!"

Spencer smiled, nodding in understanding. That was something he could understand. Derek looked at the teenager, smiling softly at the look of profound concentration on his face. Spencer looked up and his eyes caught Derek's. The younger teenager blushed slightly and turned away, ignoring the warm feeling in his chest. Derek frowned to himself. He didn't know why he had that weird feeling in his stomach every time he saw Spencer smile or blush, because like he said before, he was **not** enjoying it.

It was so familiar and so close and he didn't know why he couldn't figure it out…

SRDM

Thursday came faster than Derek could have thought with the way days had dragged on. He sat at a table in the school library waiting until Spencer arrived. He only had to wait a few more minutes before the young man came in, out of breath and disheveled. He had almost made it to the table before he tripped, sending his things flying. Spencers eyes closed and he braced himself for the hard floor, but never felt it. He blinked and finally realized the arm around his waist. He looked up, finding himself looking to Derek. He blinked again, like he wasn't quite sure what had happened.

"Hum… Hi?" Spencer said, bringing his hand in his hair to push it back from his eyes.  
>"Are you okay, kid?" Derek asked, slightly amused.<p>

The brown haired teenager nodded shyly and blushed.

"Yeah, I'm fine! Not the first time, probably not the last. So ready to start?"  
>"Sure, but I've got to tell you I'm really bad at math."<br>"That's okay, I'm really good at it." Spencer smiled softly.

Spencer started to explain the last few classes to Derek. Neither noticed the time passing as they studied maths. They spoke about books Spencer had read, and spoke about the few he had in common with Derek, they talked about TV shows and movies Derek had seen that Spencer knew nothing about. Derek loved the way Spencer's eyes glowed when he got excited about whatever it was he was talking about, Derek kept talking and talking, encouraging Spencer to do the same. But at one point, the school librarian came by and asked them to leave the premises as it was closing time.

Spencer looked at his watch and freaked out!

"Oh my god! I'm so grounded! I'm sorry Derek I really have to run!"

Derek barely had the time to say anything before Spencer ran out of the library leaving him dumbstruck.

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you liked it and if you're still with me let me know in a review!<strong>

**Love, Anne**


	8. Chapter 8

Hey guys, will you look at that, two chapters in one month! I'm kind of proud with myself... Especially since I post a chapter in another story just before that one! You guys can ignore me and skip right ahead to the story, it's more interesting than me.

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><p>Friday morning found Spencer half-comatose, dragging his feet as he walked down the stairs. Still mostly sleeping, he missed a step and collided with the doorframe, slipping and falling on his ass, his breath knocked out of him. Fast steps were heard coming from the kitchen and through the living room until Joy appeared, worry clearly visible on her face.<p>

"Spencer, are you okay?" She asked. "What happened to you?"

The teenager blinked rapidly, rubbing his eyes sleepily, before bringing his fingers to his forehead.

"Slipped. Got better acquainted with the door I guess."

Joy let out a relieved sigh; not as dramatic as she thought it would be.

"Alright, let me see."

Spencer was about to refuse when Joy sent him an annoyed glare. Feeling quite too much like a little kid to be entirely comfortable, Spencer stood up reluctantly and let the woman ran her fingers against his forehead. He hissed in pain as her fingers passed over a small red bump and applied a slight pressure.

"Clumsy child." She said exasperatedly, but somewhat fondly. "You'll live."  
>"I'm not a child." Spencer mumbled.<br>"Now, you listen to me mister. I don't care if you're six, sixteen or sixty-five years old; you'll always be someone's child. You get that?"  
>"Yes, I get it." He rolled his eyes.<br>"Good. Now, ice that and I'll drop you off at school today. My first lecture isn't until eleven."  
>"What about your office hours?"<br>"My students can wait ten minutes. It won't kill any of them. By the way, coffee's on the table and it's cavity inducing sweet."

Spencer smiled widely and practically ran to the kitchen. He took a sip of the hot beverage and moaned that was what heaven was like, he was sure.

"Alright, alright. Stop having sex with your coffee and come get breakfast." Joy teased, waving a box of cereals his way.

Spencer blushed dark red at his guardian's words. Stuff like that always made him blush.

"Do we have any _Lucky Charms _left?"  
>"Seriously? How are you not hyper? What are we going to do with that sweet tooth of yours? You'll end up full of cavities, kiddo."<br>"That's what toothbrushes are for." Spencer answered in all seriousness.  
>"Huh huh… Now ice that head of yours, before it swells up. There's a bag of peas in the freezer.<p>

Spencer sighed in exasperation, but walked to the freezer and grabbed the bag of frozen vegetables before starting on his breakfast.

SRDM

The light blue car stopped in front of the high school; Spencer went to open the door when a hand landed on his arm.

"What?" He asked Joy.  
>"This is for you." She said, dropping something in his hand and wrapping his fingers around it.<p>

Spencer frowned and opened his hand to find a brand new intelligent phone. "What?" He repeated.

"You need a phone, okay. Things like last night can't happen again. I need to know if you're staying out late… and I want to be able to call you if something happens on my side. You have friends, right? You'll want to talk to them, or text them or whatever you kids to these days." Joy said, uncomfortably.  
>"You didn't have to." Spencer sighed.<br>"I know. But humor me, alright. If it makes you feel better, think of it as sixteen years of belated birthday gifts." She almost pleaded.  
>"Alright, thanks."<br>"Good. Now have a good day and get yourself an education. Let me know if anything shows up."  
>"I will. See you tonight."<p>

Spencer got out of the car and watched as the Beetle drove away. He started walking to his first class, trying to figure out this new phone. He wasn't all that good with electronics. He preferred by far tangible stuff: books, pen, blackboard, chalks. Old stuff. He was getting pretty annoyed with the phone, trying fruitlessly to save Joy's number in it when someone called his name. He turned around and looked up in time to see Penelope running toward him. She was dressed in a bright tie-dye tunic and a pair of black jeans. It was so utterly her that he couldn't help the smile curving on his lips. Anyone else would have probably looked ridiculous, but she could pull it off. She even looked radiant.

"Nice tunic." He said, pocketing his phone.

She beamed at him.

"Thanks! The guys usually call it a shirt… Nice to know not all males are devoid of fashion knowledge. No matter how many times I repeat it to Derek, he can't seem to remember."  
>"Yeah? Well, I like it."<br>"I did it myself, you know." She said proudly. "I like your vest."  
>"Really?" Spencer asked skeptically.<br>"Of course! I mean it's not what suits you the best, but it's really you!" She nodded frantically.

Spencer smiled Great minds think alike, he thought.

"Same thing for yours."  
>"I know, right? We're just awesome like that." She declared, linking her arm through his. "What were you looking at, just before?"<br>"New phone. Can't get it to work properly though." He whined  
>"Can I take a look?" She pleaded, curiosity slipping in her voice.<br>"Sure." He shrugged, taking his arm away from Penelope's and handing her the phone he grabbed from his pocket.  
>"Shiny!" She joked.<p>

The joyful teenager rapidly became so engrossed in the phone that she forgot to pay attention to her surroundings and stopped looking at where she was going. Spencer rolled his eyes good-naturedly, more amused by her antics than anything else and made sure to guide her safely through the hallways, pulling and pushing at her arm when appropriate. They finally made it to their class, both in one piece. JJ was waiting for them.

"Hey, guys. What's going on?" JJ asked as Spencer pulled Penny out of the way.  
>"Got a new phone. Penny's playing with it."<br>"Pen, give Spencer his phone back, will ya?" She said, chuckling.  
>"But it's the latest model." She whined, making puppy eyes at her friend and acknowledging her presence for the first time. "And Spencer doesn't mind, right?" She finished, slightly unsure.<br>"Not at all."

Penelope smiled brightly at him, but gave him back the phone anyway.

"There you go. We have class after all… But if you want, I'll show you were to find everything later."  
>"Yes!" Spencer quickly agreed, not caring how desperate he sounded at all. What was wrong with letters or landlines?<p>

The two girls laughed softly and Penny linked her arm through his once more as they walked inside the class. It took all of two seconds to Spencer to notice the jerseys and the loud and playful atmosphere. He turned back to JJ to check and sure enough, she was wearing her cheerleader uniform. How had he missed that before? The cheerleader took one look at his face and smiled.

"It's game day and we play at home."  
>"Huh…" Spencer hummed noncommittally.<p>

Penelope was about to say something when the teacher walked in, demanding their undivided attention. But by lunch time, all of his new friends had found a way to ask him to come to the game. All except Derek whom he still had to see. Every time he replied in the same way, vaguely; not accepting, but not quite declining either. Spencer and Emily were the only two buying lunch and they walked back to their table, Spencer spotted Derek easily enough. He was wearing his football jersey, talking to some guys that were on the team with him. Spencer only looked away when Emily tugged at his sleeve. The dark haired teenager wore a smirk on her black painted lips.

"I know he looks good enough to eat, but I _was_ talking to you."

Spencer turned dark red and stammered some answer. Emily's expression melted into a fond one and she smiled softly at him.

"Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me. Come on you! I'm starving!"

Spencer nodded absentmindedly and followed her, sitting down. Could it be true? Could he really like Derek that way? Last time he had a crush it hadn't ended well… And because Spencer was Spencer, he made a list.

1. Derek made him blush for no reason at all.  
>2. Derek made him feel even more shy than usual.<br>3. Every time Derek touched him, his skin was on fire and his stomach dropped, filling with butterflies.

Spencer closed his eyes, groaned and let his head hit the table, attracting the attention of his friends. There was a possibility he had a crush at Derek. A crush! What was he supposed to do with a crush? Spencer raised his head to look at his friends.

"I'm fine, all's good." He mumbled, trying to ignore Emily's knowing smirk and amusement.

He was about to put his head back on the table when a hand dropped on his shoulder, making his skin tingle. He looked up again and sure enough, Derek was there, standing over him and smiling down at him.

"Hey pretty boy! Everything's alright?"  
>"Yeah… Just… You know, stuff."<br>"You sure? You look…" He started.  
>"I look what?" Spencer asked, frowning.<br>"I don't know… just… you know… weird." Derek answered awkwardly.  
>"Weird?" Spencer repeated.<br>"Yeah… You know, just weird."

Derek and Spencer both stopped talking, staring at each other, blissfully oblivious to the snorts and chuckles coming from their friends. David stole a few grapes from Aaron's lunch and threw them at the two boys. They both jumped and turned around to send death glares at their friend who raised his hand in the international "_I'm innocent_" move. Will rolled his eyes and sighed audibly.

"If you two are done flirting, we could have lunch."

Spencer blush all the way down his neck, ducking his head and taking a mouthful of his lunch to keep himself from saying something stupid. Derek shifted from one foot to the other, trying to make sense of the warmth creeping in his stomach as well as his cheeks.

"Hey! Derek, while you're here, maybe you'll be able to convince Spencer to come to the game tonight." Emily said way too sweetly for it to be completely innocent.  
>"You're not coming?" Derek asked, trying not to sound hurt.<br>"I don't really know anything about football." Spencer tried.  
>"That's no excuse." Derek snorted. "You should have seen Penny when I first started playing."<br>"Hey!" The teenager whined, hitting the football player playfully on his shoulder. "I was a great best friend! I learned all there was to know about football, didn't I?"  
>"Well, you couldn't get worse." Derek teased.<p>

They all laughed, minus Spencer and Penny. Next to her, Kevin wrapped an arm around her shoulders, kissing her cheek softly.

"That's it! I hate every single one of you, except Spencer. 'Cause _he_'s nice to me him."  
>"Whatever you say, Penelope. But they're right, you know." Aaron said, looking straight at Spencer. "You should come. It's always fun and if we don't win, we'll get to see Derek get his ass kick."<br>"Tempting, but…"  
>"Oh come on! We're all going." Penelope begged with a pout.<br>"I…" Spencer started, feeling his resolve melt.  
>"Come on! I'd like it if you came." Derek finally said over the noise of everyone else, his eyes locking with Spencer's.<p>

And there was no logical explanation for the way Spencer nodded and said earnestly next.

"Alright. I'm coming."

The victory cries of the girls attracted the stares of a few people and Spencer ducked his head again, blushing.

"You'll see, it's going to be awesome." Emily assured with too much enthusiasm for a girl who dressed in black from head to toes every day.

Spencer didn't answer, but instead looked at Derek who was talking to David and Will. Spencer had a hypothesis to verify anyway.

* * *

><p>So, what did you think? Please please let me know. I'm open to all questionsopinions/suggestions you may have.

Love, Anne


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